fsharp / fsharp/fslang-suggestions

Proposal: Add concise syntax for separating namespace and module declarations

Open
#1,441 3 comments 10 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
area: syntax probably not
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Description

**I propose we** introduce a more concise syntax for separating namespace from file-level module name.

```F#
namespace Stroke and
module Characters
let content = ()
```

**The existing ways of approaching this problem in F# are**:
```fsharp
// Approach 1: Dotted module names
module Stroke.Characters
let content = ()

// Approach 2: Namespace + module
namespace Stroke
module Characters =
let content = ()
```

## Pros and Cons

**The advantages of making this adjustment to F# are**:
- Better refactoring support compared to dotted syntax (easier copy-paste and find-replace)
- Reduced indentation levels compared to traditional namespace + module approach
- Maintains clear namespace organization structure
- Provides improved code flexibility for large codebases
- More compact code layout while preserving readability

**The disadvantages of making this adjustment to F# are**:
- Introduces a new syntax variant, potentially increasing language complexity
- Developers need to learn the new syntax format
- Requires updates to compiler and toolchain support
- May conflict with existing coding style guidelines
- Could lead to inconsistency across codebases during transition period

## Extra information

**Estimated cost (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL):** XS
(This is primarily a coding style recommendation rather than a language change)

**Related suggestions:** None identified

## Affidavit (please submit!)

Please tick these items by placing a cross in the box:
* [x] This is not a question (e.g. like one you might ask on [StackOverflow](http://stackoverflow.com)) and I have searched StackOverflow for discussions of this issue
* [x] This is a language change and not purely a tooling change (e.g. compiler bug, editor support, warning/error messages, new warning, non-breaking optimisation) belonging to [the compiler and tooling repository](https://github.com/dotnet/fsharp)
* [x] This is not something which has obviously "already been decided" in previous versions of F#. If you're questioning a fundamental design decision that has obviously already been taken (e.g. "Make F# untyped") then please don't submit it
* [ ] I have [searched both open and closed suggestions on this site](http://github.com/fsharp/fslang-suggestions/issues) and believe this is not a duplicate

Please tick all that apply:
* [x] This is not a breaking change to the F# language design
* [x] I or my company would be willing to help implement and/or test this

## For Readers

If you would like to see this issue implemented, please click the :+1: emoji on this issue. These counts are used to generally order the suggestions by engagement.

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

Research direction

The proposal defines a new F# namespace-and-module declaration syntax and contrasts it with dotted names and traditional namespace-plus-module syntax. Begin by reviewing the compiler and toolchain areas that handle these declarations; done means the proposed form is accepted while existing approaches and language behavior remain supported.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
fsharp
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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